KANSAS CITY, Kan. and NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Aratana Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines for cats and dogs (companion animals), today announced the appointment of Erick Lucera as Vice President of Corporate Development. Mr. Lucera will leverage his broad experience managing investments in healthcare, as well as his network of industry contacts to facilitate business development and investment initiatives for Aratana.

Steven St. Peter, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Aratana Therapeutics, stated, "Erick is well known in the healthcare industry and we are very excited to add him to our team. His deep understanding of corporate strategy and proven ability to recognize and invest strategically in strong growth opportunities will be paramount to keeping Aratana on its current trajectory."

Mr. Lucera stated, "Aratana represents one of the most attractive investment models I've seen in my 15 years as a healthcare investor. I am confident the human health industry is beginning to recognize the strategic importance and remarkable value in developing animal health strategies for their assets. As part of my commitment to positioning Aratana as the partner of choice for these companies, I look forward to bringing in high-quality assets and delivering significant value through successful execution on our business initiatives."

Erick LuceraMr. Lucera has more than 15 years of diverse experience in the healthcare public equity markets. Prior to joining Aratana, Mr. Lucera spent four years as Vice President and Healthcare Analyst at Eaton Vance Investment Managers. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Lucera was a Portfolio Manager at Intrepid Capital, where he successfully constructed and managed a portfolio constructed across biotech, pharmaceutical, device, and service companies. Prior to that, Mr. Lucera held various leadership positions at Independence Investments, including Head of Healthcare Research. Mr. Lucera began his career as a staff auditor and accountant at PwC. He holds a CPH in public health from Harvard University, and M.S.F. in quantitative finance from The Wallace E. Carroll Graduate School of Management of Boston College, an MBA from Indiana University Bloomington and a B.S. in accounting from Lerner College of Business and Economics of University of Delaware.

About Aratana TherapeuticsAratana Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company positioned to deliver high quality new medicines that address significant therapeutic needs for cats and dogs (companion animals). Aratana licenses and develops proprietary, patent-protected compounds acquired from human pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and then develops strategies to maximize the value of the programs for the animal health market. For more information, please visit www.aratanatherapeutics.com.